Wonder Woman Day auctions raise over $26,600 for charity

The totals are in, and America's most famous super-heroine helped raise over $26,600 at the annual "Wonder Woman Day" events. Following worldwide coverage of the first two years, the event was again concurrently held on October 26th at Excalibur Comics in Portland, Oregon and Comic Fusion in New Jersey. The free all-ages event was organized by best-selling author Andy Mangels in Portland, who also worked with Stacy Korn in New Jersey to produce their event. Both days included famous comic book creators signing comics and sketching, as well as a silent art auction with over 150 of the world's top artists contributing original art, plus raffles, costumes, rare memorabilia, and more. The Mayor of Portland, Oregon, even declared it "Wonder Woman Day" in the city!

The total amount raised was finally determined, with 100% of all monies going to the 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organizations: The Portland event raised $22,509 for two of Portland's most protective women and children's shelters and the local crisis line — Raphael House of Portland, Bradley-Angle House, and Portland Women’s Crisis Line. The New Jersey event raised $4,187 and benefitted Safe in Hunterdon, a domestic violence shelter in New Jersey. The totals for the two events added up to $26,696!

Cool Facts: The three Wonder Woman Day events are some of the most successful charity fundraisers in the history of the comic book medium. The three-year total is over $69,000! In 2007 and 2008, it was also the only times in her 67-year history that Wonder Woman had a governmentally-recognized "Wonder Woman Day," thanks to Tom Potter, the Mayor of Portland.

The producer of the "Wonder Woman Day" event was Andy Mangels, a best-selling author and DVD documentary director. "Each year, it’s overwhelming the support that the event had from creators and from fans," he says. "The event itself was quite fun, with two Wonder Women, Batman, and the Flash in attendance, as well as people who flew in from all over the country! There were many kids around who enjoyed seeing that comics could be fun for them, and not only was a tremendous amount of money raised, but so was the profile and message of the two shelters and the crisis line. Wonder Woman's message has always been about peace, honesty, and equality for everyone. It's spectacular that so many people heard that message!"

Jessica Elkan, Director of Development of Raphael House of Portland notes that, "Andy Mangels is a superhero for the cause of domestic violence. Wonder Woman Day has become a catalyst for social change and fundraising for life-saving programs in our community for victims of domestic violence. We are so grateful for his efforts — and the artists, companies, and store staffers who contribute their time and talent — because they are making a difference and we see that difference at our shelter every day. Awareness is critical to this issue and Mr. Mangels is building awareness throughout the United States and communities all over the World. We are fortunate that Mr. Mangels has brought together Portlanders to take a stand against domestic violence at Wonder Woman Day.”

Mangels credits a supportive comic community for the sensational auction. "With an awesome selection of over 150 pieces of original art, Excalibur Comics was turned into a literal museum of comic book stars. The creators signing – Adam Hughes, Gail Simone, Aaron Lopresti, Allison Sohn, and award-winning caricaturist Steve Dorris -- all had a great time, and sketched, autographed, and chatted with the fans. Our two Wonder Women – Daria Eliuk and Valerie Perez — were beautiful, strong, and fully embodied the heroine they represented. All the workers wore specially-designed bracers created by Don Hood, whose Wonder Woman work was recently seen in Vogue and at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit. And to be officially recognized for the event – a second time — by the Mayor, was exceptional!"

Cool Facts: At Wonder Woman Day III, 187 artists contributed art of Wonder Woman. Several artists contributed pieces to BOTH events. In total, 212 pieces of original Wonder Woman art were auctioned between the two events!

Speaking about the Flemington, New Jersey Wonder Woman Day celebration at Comic Fusion, store co-owner Stacy Korn says, "Wonder Woman Day III was a lot of fun this year! Wonder Woman was joined by Batman and Robin, Zatanna and even Spider-Man dropped by. Our talented artists — Neil Vokes, James Fiorentino, Rob Kramer, and Chris Muller — produced sketches for the kids. It was a beautiful day and everyone had fun participating in our silent auction and prize raffle! This year was bigger and better! We raised $4187 and I know that SAFE in Hunterdon will put the money to good use!" Additionally, Pete Marston, the son of Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston— and the oldest living contributor to Wonder Woman comics of the 1940s — stopped by the event to sign autographs and meet fans!

Representing the domestic violence shelter SAFE in Hunterdon, Melissa Decker says, "We would like to extend its deepest thanks to Comic Fusion for all of its recent efforts with the Wonder Woman Day auction to raise money for SAFE in Hunterdon, the lead Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault agency in Hunterdon County. While 2007 was a huge success, this year’s event was even more successful… SAFE in Hunterdon is grateful for the selflessness and hard work of the Comic Fusion staff, all the companies and artists that donated items and sketches to the raffle and auction, and each of the individuals and families that came out to support the agency and participate in the weekend’s festivities."

Speaking of next year, a date has been chosen for Wonder Woman Day IV: October 25, 2009. Prior to that, Andy Mangels will maintain his historical website WonderWomanMuseum.com, at which fans can see pictures and art from past Wonder Woman Days, and learn more about the history of the character. "I want to thank everyone who contributed art or merchandise to the event this year, in Portland and New Jersey, to thank all the auction bidders and attendees, and to thank the store staff at Excalibur and Comic Fusion," says Mangels. "This Wonder Woman Day raised over $26,600 for the shelters and crisis line, and showed that everyone who contributed truly has a super-hero inside of them!"

The contributors to the Art Auction and raffles are included below. Scans of all art and photos of contributed items — and photos from the event — will remain on display at www.wonderwomanmuseum.com

About Raphael House of Portland (a 501(c)3 charity) www.raphaelhouse.com

Raphael House of Portland has been offering shelter to women and children fleeing domestic violence since 1977. Each year, more than 300 women and children access shelter, food, clothing, transportation, support groups and individual support at our Emergency Shelter, and over 3500 people are served by our in-house crisis line. Raphael House of Portland is one of the largest domestic violence shelters in Oregon and has over 30% of the available bed space for survivors of domestic violence in the State. Raphael House of Portland is also dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence through education in the community for people of all walks of life and ages.

About Bradley-Angle House (a 501(c)3 charity) www.bradleyangle.org

Founded in 1975 as the first domestic violence shelter on the West Coast, Bradley-Angle House continues to develop innovative programs for women and children of all backgrounds experiencing domestic violence. Besides bilingual Spanish and English Emergency and Transition Services, Bradley-Angle House offers culturally specific support services for women battered by women.

About Portland Women's Crisis Line (a 501(c)3 charity) www.pwcl.org

Founded in 1972, the Portland Women's Crisis Line provides services to survivors (both female and male) of domestic violence and sexual assault, including rape, incest, and sexual harassment. The Portland Women's Crisis Line was the first crisis line of its kind in the state of Oregon, and one of the first five crisis lines of its kind in the United States. The Crisis Line provides services via the toll free statewide hotline number.

About SAFE in Hunterdon (a 501(c)3 charity) www.safeinhunterdon.org

SAFE in Hunterdon is a United Way Member Agency and a member of the New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women. SAFE has an emergency protective shelter for women and children and a 24-hour hotline. All services are free and confidential. Spanish speaking counseling and legal advocacy is also available. SAFE has a Crisis Intervention Team, Consultation on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Prevention Education Programs, Recovery Programs, and PALS program for children (PALS is a program designed to help children heal through the use of creative art therapies.).

About Andy Mangels www.andymangels.com

Andy Mangels is the USA Today best-selling author and co-author of almost 20 fiction and non-fiction books — including Star Trek, Roswell, and Star Wars tomes — and is a past comic book writer. He has produced Special Features and directed documentaries for over major 40 DVD sets. Andy is a national award-winning activist in the Gay community, and has raised thousands of dollars for charities over the years. He curates the online Wonder Woman Museum, seen at www.WonderWomanMuseum.com

About Excalibur Comics www.excaliburcomics.net

Founded in 1976 by Peter Fagnant and Kathy Putnam, Excalibur Books & Comics is the oldest comic book store in the State of Oregon. Currently managed by Debbie Fagnant — a Wonder Woman fan — Excalibur has an extensive line of comic books and graphic novels. Excalibur regularly donates books to schools and libraries, and welcomes fans of all ages for this spectacular event.

About Comic Fusionwww.ComicFusion.comBegun as a website in 2003 and opening as a store in November 2005, Comic Fusion is owned Bill Meccia and Stacy Korn, Working hard to become a part of the local community, the shop regularly donates to area charities, and remains one of the few comic stores in Central New Jersey. Comic Fusion carries an extensive line of comic books and graphic novels, as well as toys, apparel, and games, and remains a fun and friendly destination for all ages.

About Wonder WomanDebuting in All-Star Comics #8 (December 1941-January 1942) as the creation of psychologist and lie-detector inventor William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman soon graduated into two series of her own: Wonder Woman and Sensation Comics. In the 66 years since, over a thousand Wonder Woman comics have been published by DC Comics. Wonder Woman has appeared in animated cartoons such as Justice League Unlimited and Super Friends, but most famously was portrayed by statuesque actress Lynda Carter in the live-action series from 1975-1979.